Seeing the woman's looks of confusion, she explained, "I wasn't even born upon the lands you rule. Perhaps not even a citizen under your presence. For someone born from such circumstances to return to the place of origin and ruin, it would certainly not give them the qualifications you've offered to me."
Each of her words brought the corner of the woman's lips to inch lower into a frown. But, they knew what she spoke was true. Even if they weren't the God of the Underworld, it wouldn't be difficult for them to know the background and sins of the humans they rule over.
With her circumstances and background, they knew she was indeed unfit to take the position offered by the Red Dragon. Moreover, the child knows her place well. If it had been the woman, she would think twice before choosing such a person, unlike she had previously. But, the situation was different.
She was not the one seeking for another child. No, it was the entity from another land rivaling that of hers. Both, like all, came from high society and loyal to their own lands. However, she was not the desperate one this time.
At this very moment, the woman glanced over to the phoenix only to find the phoenix's sharp eyes curve into a pleasant expression as he spoke, "You spoke of the truth, my child. Your condition certainly would not grant thee condition for revival, but what I require does not align with the random choosing of fate."
"So, I was chosen randomly?" Her eyes widen in bewilderment and disbelief.
"If so, why would I waste effort to show my presence before one such as yourself?" Feng reasoned with an arrogant huff, "Though you stated correctly that you would be unfit with your background, I cannot say the same for your family."
Her family? His words surprised the child as he continued, "Leaving our land is one thing that we can choose to tolerate, but choosing to abandon us would've been another. Yet, they still chose to worship us albeit for personal reasons. As you say, good will does not come naturally. I'll say this only once, so listen well. Of the few demi children I have, my most beloved and my wife's more accepted child have been taken control by a mere child of a greek god and disposed of like trash."
As each words left his beak, the heat around them began to rise with his anger burning in his eyes.
"Like pawns, our children were used one after another. Like damaged dolls, they were disposed off after they had been done, like trash! This is unacceptable!" The bird screeched in frustration having finally let out his thoughts from his chest, "They dare look down upon me and then pick on little Huang as if our strength meant nothing to them!"
It was as the girl thought, after all. These celestials do have their own agenda in using her.
As if finished venting his anger, the bird finally settled down his ruffled feather orderly and continued, "If I revive you into my beloved daughter's body, I have a short list of requirements for you to accomplish in her and our stead. Aside from saving the world and punishing those that caused this catastrophe, punish the remainder of that god's children that even thought once of benefiting from this situation."
The woman froze in bewilderment, "We're talking about the god of death, Hades."
"Hades?" The child frowned, "You mean, the greek god of the underworld?"
Having loved tales of folklores and myths, she was well-versed with the greek legends.
Though not the god of death, he was the god of the underworld and ruled over the dead under the earth. His name alone had once brought fear or awe upon the Ancient Greek people while his brothers brought both fear, awe and hope in others.
She was no fool to understand that what they wanted her to do must be something they, as celestials themselves, can't do without. Otherwise, why use a mere human soul for help?
She knew that, aside from being noble, some were more cunning and used their wit to ascend to the heavens during the ancient times. Asking a human for help would be a taint their clean name plate as the most powerful beings in the world. Only the wise and desperate ones would be willing to ask a sinful human for help.
She frowned, "The God of the Underworld, Hades. We're talking about a big figure against a human soul. Since ancient times, only a small handful of humans could ever bring down a god in the entire world. What make you think my puny strength could rival that of a god over the dead, unless..."
She frowned, "What you want isn't my strength, but you want me to use wit to overcome this trial?"
"There's that." The phoenix concurred with a shrug, "I do not care if you capture them alive or dead, scathed or unscathed. Punish them as you see fit, but I have no use for their lives."
The child frowned and turned to the woman, "We're talking about threatening the children of another land. I have no quams hunting down the children that caused this mess, but the other Greek celestials might not appreciate children of another land interfering with their internal affairs."
Seeing her identity partially discovered, the woman sighed shaking her head in dismay, "I fear that even we have little choice now. Our chosen child is still growing and require time to help us quell the tantrums of her niece and nephews."
"Niece and nephews." The phoenix grumbled, "If afraid aside from yourself and a small handful of the gods and goddess, none sees their family relations as closely as they had years prior. If it weren't for that, my wife wouldn't be..."
Without showing her emotions, the woman was silent having heard this.
The phoenix shook his head with a disgruntled sigh. The woman then continued, "You have no need to worry over the affairs of the gods and goddesses, dear child. After such an event as this, we'll no doubt be on the end of everyone's grudges regretfully. Our chosen child is also in no better position as you would after completing the task be."
The phoenix scoffed, "When that time comes, I'll definitely protect her."
His words startled the woman who looked to him with clear surprise over her face. The phoenix purposefully ignored her reaction as if not noticing then continued, "You don't require permission to hunt down them. Like I said, I don't want their life. They'll only further taint our name with their smelly blood."
The bird quickly added, "Moreover, they're already wanted by all of us, so there's no need to ask for permission. That's your first task. Then, I want you to patch up the situation in the human realm as best as you can. We already have our hands full with prayers requesting an end to these..."
He sighed, "Natural disasters... Listen, just stop those demigods and bring the situation under control while we work on revitalizing areas the kids can't reach, got it?"
His half-hearted words was easy to detect. She also knew that he wasn't trying to hide the frustration and fatigue he was feeling with the current situation.
She imagined the amount of blame the children's celestial parents would have to take on for the fault of the kids, whether they choose to or not. Not to mention, the Greek celestials even have their hands full with problems of their own.
If even their so-called chosen child was having personal problems before having completed the task, then this will become nothing but trouble.
"Next." His words broke her chain of thoughts, "We want you to snap the strings off the other children. They'll become a nuisance upon the other celestials otherwise. If not dealt with before the other gods reach them, I can't assure my colleagues of those rascals' life."
Basically, don't further bring their troubles to the other gods and goddesses before the others decide to cut them off socially and literally. she thought for a bit before responding, "All right. I can't guarantee that all have been forced to comply with those children of Hades, but, more importantly, I can't guarantee that all will come back to their senses unscathed."
That was the reality of it all. Truth be told, bringing them back to their senses if they want it was fine and all, but she can't guarantee that some of those children did it out of their own personal benefit or their own tantrums.
Feng watched this child of the humans before he sighed, "Why ask me? If you can't bend them, then do what you can. Those children have already made a lot of trouble for their parents. Even if they do return before their parents, I doubt they'd escape punishment for their own doings. As long as what you do don't disturb the peace, like those children have, I won't say much about what you choose to do after this either. This is your life. Oh, I mean, this is your new life, after all."
Obviously. Hearing this, she nodded, "All right."
Personally, she couldn't care less about what the god would do to her new life or that he knew she'd take the chance to reincarnate into the body of an already grown child. If he were to interfere with her own mission, however, she wouldn't hesitate to put her life on the line again for what she want to do.
The woman then stretched out her hand again and said, "Then, will you choose to reincarnate and correct the results of your wrongdoings or will you decide to go through hell as planned?"
This time, this child didn't say anything but clenched the woman's outstretched hand, "It's a deal."
Feng stretched out his wings as five small feathers flew down before her and flames suddenly erupted from her body. The pain was excruciating, but she didn't scream. She was already too tired after all that thinking. Instead, she sucked in a breath of warm air unable to do anything in the flames. The bird's cry penetrated the air as she could hear his voice in her head, "From this day forward, you are my new daughter, Willow Li of the Li family."
When she awoke, she found herself buried under a pile of rotten brown plants. She quickly sat up shaking the pile of dead plants off of her body as she found that her red qipao clothing with silver embrioderies were both torn and bloodied.
Images filled her mind causing her head to swirl in pain. Shaking, she slowly got to her feet before tottering towards a tree. Her body was in pain as she scowled and reached out to the dead tree.
Shortly after leaving the pile, she heard the sound of a breeze and turned around to see that the pile of dead plants have suddenly been lit ablaze!
It burned smokeless till nothing was left. Her bare foot stepped on the root of the tree as her other foot with the tattered red silk shoe was tettering on the gravel. With a pounding head, she leaned her back against the tree trunk and slid down onto the ground as she struggled to wrap her mind around the images.
Weariness finally consumed her mind as she began to drift into a deep slumber under the tree.
Unbeknowst to anyone, the tree began to flower as cherry blossom petals drifted upon her slumped body and a red mark burned in between her brows till the shape of a five petal flower bloomed the size of her thumb.